Imagine your whole world is filled with rich, delicicious chocolate - that chocolate is actually your career. Your days are crammed with the research and science of the noble bean, while your mind and imagination soar with delicious ideas and brave new concepts.

That is the world of Ann Czaja, a native of Alexandria, Virginia, and a confectionery and chocolate expert - a maitre chocolatier - with Lindt & Sprungli, producers of premium chocolate. Czaja, who keeps her trim figure and all that chocolate tasting under control with a strict regiment of good old fashioned exercise, was in town recently to show how to make a perfect chocolate bark, talk about her work and how exactly she landed her dream job.

Was she always involved in the chocolate biz? "No actually, my first career was in the field of medicine. I later went into the catering and restaurant industry before entering a traditional apprenticieship program to study pastry and chocolate. I moved to Zurich, Switzerland where I apprenticed to become a licensed pastry chef/chocolatier. I was 37 years old at the time."

She was only supposed to stay a year, but Czaja worked in Zurich for 14 years before moving back to the U.S., in 2006 to continue her work with the company.

Is being in the chocolate biz all fun and games? "People need to understand this is not a glamorous job!" said laughed Czaja. "And to be honest, I kinda blame the Food Network for this, as the various food shows tend to glamorize this industry without really going into how tough it can be - the long hours, making sure that what you help produce is perfect." An example is the Lindt's pumpkin spice chocolate truffle - the taste is a perfect balance of pumpkin, spice and smooth chocolate without an overpowering sense of flavour. Subtle and perfect - "and yet it took a year of testing and retesting before we found the correct formula."

It is a tough industry and a very serious business - but one Czaja loves. "I'm very passionate about this work, every day I find something to look forward to. My career is in chocolate! I'm inspired by everyday things - and I truly enjoy what I do."

Does that include having chocolate every day? "Oh, yes!"

Check out LindttheSeason.ca for holiday ideas and the five senses of enjoying a chocolate.